Many wireless access networks are configured to operate as wireless local area networks (WLANs) in accordance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard publication 802.11-2012, which is incorporated herein as if reproduced in its entirety. Mobile stations access WLANs by establishing a wireless link/connection with a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP) in accordance with a Wi-Fi link setup procedure, which typically requires the mobile station to discover the Wi-Fi AP using a passive or active scanning technique.
When using passive scanning techniques, a mobile station will typically listen for broadcast messages (e.g., beacons, etc.) that are periodically transmitted by Wi-Fi APs. However, the relatively long periodic intervals between consecutive broadcasts (e.g., 100 milliseconds (ms) or more) may render passive scanning unsuitable for discovery situations requiring fast link setup, such as handovers. To achieve faster link setup, mobile stations may rely on active scanning techniques, which typically require the mobile station to transmit a probe request message over a Wi-Fi channel, and subsequently monitor the Wi-Fi channel for a probe response message sent by a Wi-Fi AP. If a probe response is detected, the mobile station discovers the Wi-Fi AP on that channel. If a probe response is not detected, then the mobile station will determine that the channel is unoccupied (e.g., not being served by a Wi-Fi AP), and proceed to scan the next channel.